Pair of storms appears SCV-bound, experts say

Weather: Forecast calls for rain throughout the week

Raindrops hang off the railing of a horse coral in the 30000 block of Bouquet Canyon Road in Canyon country as a light drizzle fell Tuesday morning. Heavy rains are forecast for the Santa Clarita Valley, which are expected to start today continue through the weekend.

For those of us who built a snowman, threw a snowball and believed that winter had come and gone with the snow that fell in the Santa Clarita Valley: Think again.

Since that first day of the new year, when snow blanketed the SCV, it’s been unusually dry with many days of sunshine.

But weather specialists expect that to change a bit after a series of storms roll through the Santa Clarita Valley from Seattle this week.

The SCV receives an average of about 5.63 inches of rain between Jan. 1 and Valentine’s Day.

But so far this year, the area has received just 0.63 inches.

“We receive the heaviest amount of rain, normally, in January and February,” he said. “So far, we haven’t got nearly (the average) amount.”

Although the Santa Clarita Valley has received more than the normal amount of rain — about 11.2 inches of rain since July, compared to the norm of 9.88 inches — it has been a very dry start to the new year, Seto said.

But that’s expected to change this week.

At least two storms are moving south from Seattle are expected to bring rain to the Santa Clarita Valley this week.

“It looks like we’re going to see periods of rain, heavy at times, throughout the week,” said Stuart Seto, of the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “These will be much-needed rains,” Seto said.

On Wednesday, between one-half of an inch and 1 inch of rain is expected to fall on the Santa Clarita Valley.

Overnight temperatures are expected to hover between 42 and 44 degrees throughout the week, with cloudy daytime highs expected to be in the mid-50s.

“The big rain, however, will happen Friday,” Seto said. “Friday night into Saturday will be the heaviest rain. This one will probably be the more significant amount of rainfall.”

Commuters travelling through the Grapevine along Interstate 5 should note that snow levels are expected to drop to 4,000 feet Wednesday night and to 3,000 feet Friday.